A British court has heard details of a Russian espionage operation involving a ‘honeytrap’ scheme to target journalists and dissidents, with two Bulgarian men pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. The ring, led by Orlin Roussev, 34, and Biser Dzhambazov, 39, operated in the UK and several European cities, including London, Vienna, Valencia, and Stuttgart, as part of a wider Russian intelligence effort.
According to The Times (David Brown, November 28, 2024), the operation used two women, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Katrin Ivanova, 32, in what prosecutors described as “honeytraps” to extract information from high-profile targets. Dzhambazov was romantically linked to both women, and the operation was allegedly designed to exploit their relationships to gain access to dissidents and journalists. Gaberova, a beautician, and Ivanova, a laboratory assistant, deny charges of spying, while Roussev and Dzhambazov have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to spy.
The spy ring is accused of targeting multiple individuals, including Christo Grozev, an investigative journalist with the Bellingcat website. Grozev was a key figure in exposing Russian involvement in the 2018 poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. According to evidence presented in court, the group followed Grozev across several countries, including Austria, Montenegro, and Spain, and even discussed plans to kill or kidnap him. The defendants also targeted other Russian dissidents and investigative journalists, such as Roman Dobrokhotov, editor of The Insider.
Roussev and Dzhambazov were allegedly paid by Jan Marsalek, a Russian intelligence officer, for their role in the spy network. Marsalek communicated extensively with Roussev via Telegram, sending over 78,000 messages between August 2020 and February 2023. The operation, which involved extensive surveillance, included using false identities, hacking technology, and advanced surveillance devices, such as drones, jammers, and eavesdropping equipment. Much of the equipment was found at Roussev’s residence in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, alongside hundreds of mobile phones and SIM cards.
The ring’s activities allegedly put numerous lives at risk, including surveillance of military sites used to train Ukrainian forces, as well as plans to infiltrate foreign political circles. According to The Times, the espionage operation also sought to cultivate relationships with Kazakhstan’s political elite, conducting surveillance on Kazakh diplomats in London in 2022. The spies even considered staging a demonstration outside the Kazakh embassy to further Russia’s interests.
The defendants, who all held EU settlement status in the UK, face various charges related to espionage. The trial is ongoing, with the prosecution arguing that the ring’s activities placed lives in danger and served Russian state interests under the guise of personal relationships and loyalty.
